Heel-attaching mechanism



July 10, 1928.; V

' J. A. KELLY HEEL ATTACHING MECHANI SM Filed July 29, 1925 Patented July 10, 1928.

UNITED STATES JOHN A. KELLY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

HEEL-ATZISAGHING MECHANISM.

Application filed July 29,

This invention is a mechanism for aflixin a heel to a shoe, the same being adapte more particularly, for the attachment of a prepared heel to the seat of womens shoes. 5 The object is to facilitate the attachment of heels by labor saving mechanism, and to effect the heel attachment securely, to the end that the heel is not liable to displacement in the normal service of the shoe.

The machine performs a number of operations in a desired sequence or order, but these operations are under the control of a workman, whereby the operations are conducted rapidly and accurately so as to attain lelcoiliomy in the secure attachment of the According to this invention, a last is carried by a jack mounted on a bed, the latter being movable in a desired direction. Co-

operating with the last andits actuating means is a work head mounted for rotative movement, said work head being equippe with a recess producing die and with a holder for a heel. In one position of the work head, the die is presented in the path of a heel seat on a shoe upper carried by the last, and by a relative movement of the last and the die, a recess or countersink is produced on the heel seat of the upper. The parts are separated by a further relative movement of die to last, whereupon, the head is turned to present the heel holder in the path of the last, and a second rotative movement takes place between the work head and the last, at which time the heel on the head is applied to the heel seat.

It is preferred to provide the recess-forming-die with a plurality of pins adapted, when the die acts to produce a recess in the heel seat, to penetrate the heel seat and puncture the same by the formation of holes in the heel seat at or adjacent to the recess or countersink. The heel adapted to be car-. ried by the work holder of the Work head is prepared by prgviding it with a plate having lips, and when the heel is to be attached to the heel seat, this plate enters the recess or countersink and the lips of said plate are received in the holes produced in the heel seat by the pins of the die, whereby the pressure applied to force the plate into the dieout recess acts to upset the lips of the plate and to clench said lips in a manner to securely attach the heel tothe heel seat of the shoe upper.

Other functions and advantages of the in- 1925. Serial No. 46,710.

a shoe upper showing the recess produced in the heel seat by the action of the die.

Figure 5 is a view in side elevation of the locking means for the rotatable work head. Figure 6 is a detail perspective of the shiftable stop for the horizontally slidable 1 table for the last jack.

Figure 7 is a detail view of a portion of a shoe upper and a prepared heel illustrating another form of heel aflixing plate for the attachment of a heel after the plate itself shall have been aifixed to the heel seat.

A frame A of any suitable construction is provided for supporting a table B" and a rotatable work head C. Said frame is provided with a vertical guideway a for directing the movement of the table B in a vertical path under the action of a treadle D, hung at d, and operatively connected by a link d to said table. The table is shown as having a horizontal guideway b in which is fitted a carrier E for a jack F of a last G, whereby the jack is shiftable to different positions on the vertically movable table in order to present different sizes of lasts to the work head C. The last is shown in Figures 1 and 7 as being provided with a metal facing g operable as a clencher plate to upset the metal attaching elements for the heel, as will presently appear.

The work head G is one of the new elements of my machine,-said head being rotatable on a horizontal axis and being positioned in the path of the last when the latter is moved upwardly with the table upon the operation of the treadle. As shown, the work head is polygonal in order to provide the required'number of fiat faces 0 for the instrumentalities used to effect the attachment of the heel to the shoe upper, but, obviously, the cross sectional form of the locking member shown as a head may be changed to suit the requirements. The head is carried by an arbor a mounted in appropriate bearings 0' of the frame, and with this head there is associated appropriate means for imparting rotative movement to the arbor and for locking the head fixedly in position. As shown, the head is provided with a crank handle 6, having a locking stud 6' adapted to enter one of a number of sockets e provided in a plate fixed to the frame.

The head is shown as carrying on one of its faces 0 a die H, and on another of its faces a is provided with a heel holder I. Said die protrudes from the face 0 for a suitable distance and it is of any suitable form, being shown as triangular. The die is provided with pins or studs h protruding from the face thereof, and in case the die is triangular, these pins are positioned at the corners of the die, see Figure 2. The function of the die is to compress the material composing the heel seat in a manner to produce a recess or countersink in the heel seat, the form of the recess corresponding to the die and the depth of said recess being equal at least to the thickness of the heel attaching member, in order that said member ma be received within the recess so as to lie fius with the heel seat. The pins or studs h puncture the heel seat for the production of openings in the heel seat at the corners of the recess therein, which holes provide for the easy entry of the lips on the heel attaching element, whereby the latter element is positioned with precision within the recess.

of the heel seat.

The heel holder I may be of any suitable form to accommodate the heel; as shown, it

is provided with a socket and with a clip 2', the latter being engageable frictionally with the heel for retaining the latter fixedly within the holder. c The heels are prepared for use in the machine, each heel 10 being of suitable form and having provided on the face presented to the heel seat with a plate 11 having Iprongs 12, l3. The plate is secured to the eel by embedding the prongs 12 in the heel, leaving the prongs13 protruding from the plate and the heel, see Figures 1 and 3.

To use the machine, the operator places a heel 11 in the holder I, for the clip 71 to engage with the heel. An upper 15 on the last G is mounted on jack F and carrier E is shifted along the table B to position the heel seat 14 of the upper below the work holder C. This work holder is turned by crank e for the die I to face the the work holder being then'locked fixedly in position. By pressure on the treadle, D, the 7 table and its contained parts are raised with sufficient power for the die I to form a recess 16 (see Figure 4) in the heel seat 14 by heel seat,

compacting the material of the heel seat, and at the same time-the pins 12. puncture the heel seat to produce openings 17 therein. The table is now lowered to withdraw the upper from the die, and thereupon work holder C is given a partial turn to present the holder I and the heel 10 in facing relation to the last. The treadle is again depressed to lift the last, by which operation the plate 11 is entered into the recess 16 and the prongs 13 of said plate pass through the holes 17 so as to strike the clencher plate 9 and thus clench the prongs within the material of the heel seat. The pressure between the coacting head C and last G forces the plate 11 of the heel solidly into the recess 1.6 and clenches the prongs 13 against plate 9 of the last, whereby the-heel is attached fixedly to the shoe. As is usual, the face of the heel or the face of the heel seat is coated with a suitable adhesive, and thus the pressure applied by the coacting head C, and last G, seats the heel solidly on the seat 14 of the upper, and this solid union of the heel to the upper is augmented by the metallic attachment afforded by the plate 11 and its prongs 12, 13. The heel and the heel seat are made to conform by the applied pressure, and the result is a solid and fixed connection of the heel to the upper, thus overcoming an existing objection to womens shoes with preformed heels.

Instead of attaching the metallic .fastening to the heel, as in Figures 1 and 3,the metallic fastening may be applied to heel seat of the upper in advance of the assemblage of the heel, as in Figure 7 and there- I upon the heel may be attached by head 0 and last G in the manner described, the prongs 12 beingiembedded in the heel.

.To positionthe carrier E and the last in accurate relation to the head C when using the machine for applying heels to shoes which vary in size, I provide a shiftable stop J, represented in detail in Figure 6 and in an applied position in Figure 1. The stop is provided with a finger j at one end and with slots intermediate its ends. Said stop is positioned on the table B and secured in place fixedly by screws j, so that the finger j is in the path of the last carrier E for limiting the movement of said carrier, but, obviously, the stop may be shifted to different posltions on the table for determining the relation of the last to the work head as required in the use of the mechanism for the attachment of heels to different sizes of shoes.

Having thus fully described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a heel attaching mechanism, the combination with a last carrier, and means for imparting vertical reciprocating movement thereto, of a work head mounted for rotative movement at will and positioned in co-operative relation to the last carrier, a die positioned on said work head and operable to countersink a recess in a heel-seat of an upper adapted to be mounted on the last carrier, a plurality of pins protruding from the face of said die and operating concurrently therewith for puncturing the heel seat, and a heel holder mounted on the work head.

In testimony whereof I have hereto signed my name this 28th day of July, 1925.

JOHN A. KELLY; 

